They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants is an alternative rock group -- I guess that's what you'd call them -- who write very interesting songs. They are probably most well known for their songs "Istanbul" and "Birdhouse In Your Soul" from their album Flood. Some of their songs are strange, some of them are funny, some of them are political, and some of them are actually very educational.

I have used They Might Be Giants songs in my science class over the years. My favorite song to use in teaching is "Why Does the Sun Shine". The lyrics begin with, "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas - a gigantic nuclear furnace - where Hydrogen is built into Helium at a temperature of millions of degrees." My 6th graders learn and perform this song every year. We have also learned "The Guitar", which uses the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" to sing about a rocket ship, just for fun. Other science songs include "Mammal", "Meet the Elements", and "Science Is Real". They have an entire collection of science songs on the album Here Comes Science which is now available on iTunes and was featured in Wired magazine.

These songs and some of the music videos that go with them are great for use in the classroom. As with everything else, be sure to preview any They Might Be Giants songs you plan to use in the classroom since some of their songs, like "Science Is Real" are controversial (it mentions the Big Bang Theory) and not all of their non-science lyrics are appropriate for students, but I highly recommend taking a look at some of their music.

Their website is www.theymightbegiants.com/

Chris Lehman

Notes from the Canyons School District Ed Tech Retreat:
A Conversation With Chris Lehman

Principal at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia
1 to 1 laptop school

We don't do a blog project or a wiki project. We do a project about a subject and choose the tools that will work best.

Twitter - used naturally

Acceptable Use
A vision statement about whether what we are doing with the technology is for an academic use.
Teach them to be good digital citizens.
There are less "Thou shalt not"s and more vision statements.

Project-oriented school
What if high school wasn't preparation for real life? What if high school was real life?
Have the students work on projects that really matter.

Core values of the school:

• Research
• Collaborate
• Create
• Present
• Network
• Reflect

(Similar to our Big 6)

Amazing projects!
Every teacher shares the same core values and goals, so the language is the same in every class no matter what the subject is.
An incredible amount of scaffolding must take place each year and from year to year.

Words of wisdom:
Do it for a reason!
Don't use something just because it's a new tool, use it for a reason.
Don't put the tools first. Put the pedagogy first.